


Two Thanksgivings (And A Funeral)

by kitkatt0430



Series: Neighbors and Butterflies [7]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Barry is concerned he's being paranoid about STAR Labs, Cisco and Hartley just started dating, Cisco's got good parents, Dante is a good brother, Established Relationship, Hartley is super nervous, Hartley's got ADHD, Hunter being creepy at his victim's funeral, Hunter is using Velocity now, Hunter thinks he's a special snowflake, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Joe and Barry compare notes on recent events, Joe just wants his kids to be happy, Joe loves his kids, M/M, More characters to be added later, More relationships to be added later - Freeform, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving at Joe's for the West-Thawne-Allen-Snart gang, Thanksgiving with the Ramon's, Trans Armando Ramon, Wakes & Funerals, and he's having difficulty with time at the moment, but we know he's got good reason, more tags to be added later, serial killer Hunter Zolomon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28727853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatt0430/pseuds/kitkatt0430
Summary: While the Ramon Family and the West Family Thanksgivings are underway, not far from the grave of Nora Allen a young woman's family grieves.(Three stories set on Thanksgiving Day in the Neighbors and Butterflies series.)
Relationships: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart, Cisco Ramon/Hartley Rathaway, Eddie Thawne/Iris West
Series: Neighbors and Butterflies [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1522898
Comments: 13
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm only tagging for the first chapter initially, but will add more tags as each subsequent chapter is added. They're more like separate stories than chapters of a single story, but they're all connected by being set on the same day so I decided to tie them together in a single place.
> 
> Chapter One - The Ramon Family Thanksgiving: Cisco is excited to be introducing Hartley to his family. Unfortunately, Hartley's anxiety is extra bad today.
> 
> Chapter Two - The West Family Thanksgiving: Joe's hosting Thanksgiving for the extended West family, now including Eddie Thawne and both Len and Lisa Snart. When everyone's got secrets they're mostly ready to share, what could possibly go wrong?
> 
> Chapter Three - One of the victims of Hunter Zolomon is going back into the ground, this time in a cemetery. Hunter watches from a distance and considers his plots.

Cisco, still dressed in his pajamas, opened his front door and let Hartley inside.

“How are you still in your pajamas?” Hartley asked, practically buzzing with nervous energy. “It’s eleven o’clock and we’ve only got four hours before we’re supposed to be at your parents’...”

“It’s not going to take four hours for me to get dressed, Hart,” Cisco interrupted dryly, poking his boyfriend lightly on the nose. “How much caffeine have you had this morning?” he added, trying to remember if he had any chamomile tea left. Hartley really needed to chill out.

“Not nearly enough,” Hartley grumbled.

“If it will make you feel better, I'll go ahead and get dressed,” Cisco told him. “But you might be a touch over dressed. We’re going to my parents’ house, not church.”

“I wanted to make a good impression,” Hartley responded, a touch defensively. He was wearing black slacks and a button up shirt with a nice blazer; all he was missing was a tie and he would be ready to step into one of the many business meetings and press conferences he’d covered for Dr. Wells while their boss was still in recovery.

He was slightly taller than Cisco, but not so much taller that he couldn't wear Cisco’s clothing comfortably anyway. But Cisco had the feeling Hartley'd be more comfortable wearing his own clothing, otherwise he’d have cajoled his boyfriend into wearing his jeans. As it stood, Hartley could totally pull off a button down shirt and blazer combo with jeans and make it look casual instead of preppy. But the slacks took it too far down the road of business professional.

“My parents are going to love you. You make me happy and that’ll be your biggest selling point. Though the fact that you speak flawless Spanish? They will love that and I’m certainly looking forward to you springing that on Dante.” Cisco kissed Hartley’s cheek. “But you look like you’re about to cover a meeting with Queen Consolidated for Dr. Wells, not like you’re headed to a family dinner.”

“My experiences with family dinners are very different from yours,” Hartley muttered and sighed. “Okay. So I should, what, go all the way back to my apartment and change?”

“After lunch,” Cisco told him, “we’ll both head back to your apartment. We’ll take the rolls and the tostones with us and then head to my parent’s house at about two-thirty. It’ll probably take us a little longer to get there, but my parents won’t mind if we’re running a little slow.”

Hartley wrinkled his nose and then nodded uncertainly. “I might be having a really bad case of time blindness today because I can’t even process how long all that is going to take.”

“We’ve got plenty of time,” Cisco assured him. “And don’t change your whole outfit, just...” Cisco unbuttoned the top two buttons of Hartley’s shirt, enjoying the way Hart’s eyes went a little darker as he sucked in a sharp breath. “Swap your pants to jeans. And leave that,” he gave the now open collar a light tug, “unbuttoned.” It was a green button down and really brought out the darker tones of Hartley’s eyes. Looked very, very good on him in Cisco’s opinion. “Anyway, I’ve got the stuff for sandwiches in the fridge and one of those little electric grills we can use as a sandwich press in the island cabinet. If you’ll start pulling all of that out, I’ll get dressed and join you in the kitchen.”

“Sounds good,” Hartley agreed and turned to do as Cisco had asked.

Slipping into his bedroom, Cisco pulled off his pajamas and slid into a pair of jeans before perusing his shirts. There was a soft, long-sleeved t-shirt with a Pi joke on it that Cisco settled on. Then he did his hair, opting to skip the straightener for leaving his hair with waves. His mamá would probably complain about him letting it go so long – she always did – but he never paid her any mind. And Hartley liked his hair, so he had extra incentive to ignore the inevitable comments.

In fact, the first thing Hartley did when Cisco joined him in the kitchen was kiss his cheek and use tucking some stray hairs behind Cisco’s ear as an excuse to run his fingers through the length of Cisco’s hair.

A little shiver ran through Cisco and he smiled. Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Hartley was fairly certain today was going to be a disaster. He overslept his alarm by half an hour and had the intense certainty that he was going to be late from that moment on.

Cisco kept assuring him things were going to be okay, though, which helped.

After an early lunch at Cisco's, they went back to Hartley's place where he changed into jeans and then ditched the blazer and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Then he snagged a black hoodie, draping it over his arm as he went back into the living room. "Better?" he asked.

"Much," Cisco said, staring unabashedly at Hartley's arms and licking his lips. "You know, we've got plenty of time for..."

Hartley shook his head, knowing very well he was turning down sex. "No, no, I would need to shower and change and I will panic over taking too long."

"Alright. You are so keyed up, though, and I want to do something to help you relax." Cisco sidled forward, sliding a hand up Hartley's chest and leaning in to press a kiss against the corner of Hartley's mouth.

"Cisco..." Hartley groaned softly, leaning into Cisco's touch.

Maybe sex wouldn't be a bad idea after all. Hartley just doesn't know how he'd be able to look Cisco's family in the eye after having Cisco's hand on his dick all in the same day. (Or Cisco's mouth. He wasn't really sure what exactly was on offer at the moment.)

"Cuddles?" Hartley asked.

"Cuddles," Cisco agreed. "Couch or bed?"

"Either way I'm probably going to fall asleep on you once you start running your fingers through my hair," Hartley admitted. "Bed's more comfortable for napping, but on the couch there's the tv."

"Couch. I'll watch something on Netflix, hopefully your brain will have calmed down a little by the time we need to leave," Cisco teased. Then, more seriously, "you've been having a lot of bad anxiety days lately." They both knew why, but what Cisco was asking was if this was turning into a problem.

"Yeah... I'm going to start looking for a new therapist in earnest next week. I'm pretty sure the anxiety thing is plateauing and I'm going to wind up being recommended to a psychiatrist for determining medications." Hartley grimaced, adding, "I can't just go back on what I took in college because it's not necessarily going to work with my brain chemistry anymore. And... I'm a little afraid if I start medicating again that this time..." he let Cisco steer him onto the couch. "I'm already going to be taking my ADHD meds until the end of forever. I know its just internalized ableism, but..."

"It probably doesn't help much, but if the meds help you feel better..." Cisco shrugged. "I just want you to feel better."

"If I'm remembering the process right, medicating makes me feel worse before I feel better. It took a while to find the right one last time. I'm not thrilled at the idea of going through it again." He snuggled against Cisco's arms, curling up with his head pillowed against Cisco's chest. "I'm sorry I'm a mess today."

"You're not a mess," Cisco countered. "Meeting the parents is a big step and we've only been dating a few weeks. If you'd rather wait until you're feeling better..."

Hartley shook his head, already unwinding as Cisco fingers trailed through his hair. "I want to meet them. If you think it's a good idea, then I want to be there today."

"They're going to love you," Cisco promised. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up in an hour, okay?"

"Mmkay..." Hartley mumbled, eyes slipping closed.

* * *

Cisco sighed softly as he felt Hartley's breathing even out. For the most part, Hartley'd recovered really well from the accidental exposure to Roy Bivolo's rage inducing powers. But it had messed with Hartley's brain chemistry and left Hartley in something of a brain fog for days afterwards. He was back at work now and on a mostly even keel, despite the whole thing dredging up some issues Hartley had with Dr. Wells.

Honestly, Cisco wasn't sure how he felt about things now, knowing that Dr. Wells had been aware of the danger posed by the accelerator and chosen to turn it on anyway... but then Hartley had known about the problem too, letting Dr. Wells talk him out of making a fuss about it. 

So many people had been injured that night. So many had died. And, sure, they'd gotten Ronnie back and the Steins got their missing family back, but... how many others wouldn't be getting their loved ones back? All because Dr. Wells had wanted to change the world on his schedule.

Slowly carding his fingers through Hartley's hair, Cisco turned the problem around in his head, coming to the same conclusions he always did. He didn't want to leave STAR Labs. The working they were doing for the metahumans was important and Cisco wanted to be a part of it. But he couldn't trust Dr. Wells anymore. It felt a little like he'd been in the Twilight Zone ever since the accelerator exploded. Up was down, left was right, and Dr. Wells had fallen from his pedestal. 

And the Twilight Zone was a good idea for something to watch. It was on Netflix... right? Using Hartley's remote controls, he brought up the app and started searching.

* * *

Hartley shifted nervously behind Cisco on the porch while Cisco unlocked the door. After his nap, Hartley was feeling less jittery, but meeting the Ramons was still rather nerve wracking.

The door opened and they both got a face full of good food smell, coming from the kitchen. Cisco bounced excitedly. "Dante said they were doing turkey. He didn't say it was going to be pavochon."

"Pavochon?" Hartley echoed. Pavo meant turkey, but... chon could reference a few different things.

"It's made similarly to pernil, so the name basically means turkey-pork," Cisco told him.

"Oooh, pernil," Hartley grinned. "You brought that to our potluck last year." It had been the best pork dish Hartley'd ever tasted. If pavochon was similar... "Mofongo stuffing?" he guessed.

"Yup. Mamá makes it even better than I do. And I was pretty proud of the batch I made last year." Cisco latched on to Hartley's hand and tugged him into the entryway. "Mom! Dad! Hartley and I are here! We've got rolls and tostones!"

"Tostones?" Another long-haired Ramon popped in from a hallway leading to what Hartley assumed led to the bedrooms. "Need a taste tester?"

"Do you see this?" Another brother, who looked older, appeared. This one was likely Dante, which made the one with longer hair - though not as long as Cisco's - was Armando. Dante gestured to Armando's hair. "You've corrupted him."

"I think the longer hair suits you," Cisco said with a laugh. "Lookin' good, 'Mando."

"I'm glad someone likes it. Mamá's been fussing just like she does with you and Dante here..." Armando swatted his brother with a laugh before stepping forward to engulf Cisco in a hug. Then he held out a hand to shake Hartley's. "So you're the guy Cisco's been mooning over for, like, the last year."

"Oh god, I just remembered why this is a terrible idea," Cisco muttered, dropping his face into his hands. "My family is embarrassing."

"Paco!" A lovely woman who had to be Sofia Ramon came around the corner and beckoned them all into the living room. "Paco," she repeated, drawing Cisco into a hug. "Welcome home." And then she hugged Hartley too. "It's so lovely to meet you, Hartley."

"You too, Mrs. Ramon."

"Sofia. Call me Sofia," she told him.

"And you can call me Mateo," said Cisco's dad from behind Sofia. "Now, did someone mention tostones?"

* * *

Dante tapped Cisco on the shoulder and nodded towards the hallway, so Cisco followed along. They went into Cisco and Armando's old bedroom, which was a guest room now since Cisco had his own place and Armando had moved to Texas. But some of their old things were still decorating the room. The twin beds were each adorned with quilts made by one of their abuelas, which made the room still feel cozy and familiar despite the changes.

"What's up?" Cisco asked, settling on what used to be his bed. Absently, he said, "do you think I could make a quilt like this? Because I've been wanting to try..."

"If you do start making quilts, I want one." Dante sat down on Armando's old bed. "Is everything okay with Hartley? He just seems like he's really tightly wound."

"It's been a weird few weeks. There was an accident with one of the metas we work with and then Ronnie came back from the dead." Cisco grinned as Dante's eyes went wide.

"Came back from the dead. Are you being serious? Is that, like, a thing one of those metahumans can do?" 

Cisco shook his head. "No. Ronnie wasn't actually dead after all. It's... complicated. But we got him back safe and sound and just in time for him to spend Thanksgiving with Caitlin. Which is why she's not here with us today like we'd been planning. They needed some together time after nearly a year apart."

"That's great, man." Dante scuffed his feet along the carpet. "And for all that he's a little twitchy and stressed, Hartley seems like a nice guy."

"He really is," Cisco agreed. "A nice guy. But also a little twitchy and stressed today too. I think meeting the family is reminding him a little that... his own family is out of reach. I know he'd love a chance to see Jerrie again, but unless something changes he's not going to be able to until she turns eighteen."

"His sister, right?" Dante sighed. "The story about them disowning him hit right when you and Mando were both coming out. I thought for sure Armando was gonna crawl right back into that closet and put up with a few more years of skirts and dresses."

"He was going to, but when I said I was going forward with coming out as bi anyway, he decided to go through with telling them after all." Cisco smiled fondly at the memory. They'd both been worried - Cisco more for Armando than himself, truth be told - but Mamá had been so proud of them, once she stopped laughing over realizing why Armando kept stealing Cisco's clothes for school. Papá had been a little quieter, confused to some degree about what it would even mean for Armando to choose a new name and transition. But he'd also adjusted quickly to the idea of having three sons and been appalled by parents who acted like their kid coming out as trans was a failure on their part.

Armando had cried happy tears all night the first time he heard their father insist there was absolutely nothing wrong with his son. That Armando was perfect just the way he was.

Hartley never got to have that sort of acceptance. He got told to pack his things and to get the hell out. He got told by strangers that the Rathaways didn't have a son.

"Well I'm pretty sure that if you ever break up with Hartley, Mamá'll just adopt him. She's got the same look in her eye she had over Teresa." Dante shook his head ruefully. Teresa had been Dante's high school sweetheart junior year. They'd broken up over the summer before senior year, but Teresa had kept popping up at their house all school year anyway due to family troubles. If Mamá had her way, she'd have adopted Teresa - which would've been awkward for Dante, to say the least - but eventually Teresa had moved across town to live with her aunt. It wasn't ideal to move to a different school midway through senior year, but she'd made it work. But Teresa had dropped out of touch with their family after moving to California for college.

"Have you heard from her?" Cisco asked, though Dante was already shaking his head.

"Nah. I friended her on Facebook. She's got a husband and two kids now, if you can believe it. Two. Mamá had better not see that or she'll start hounding me about grandbabies again."

"You know if you moved out," Cisco teased, "she wouldn't have such easy access to ask you about your love life. Speaking of which, I thought Gail was going to be here."

"Yeah, so did I," Dante muttered, crossing his arms. "She said it was a last minute work thing. But she couldn't look at me when she said it. And I don't mean 'couldn't look me in the eye' because she's more of a 'fixed point at my shoulder' type person. I mean, she couldn't look at any of me." Dante sighed and flopped backwards on the bed. "She ran into her ex the other week and I think she's still a little in love with him."

"Damn. Dante, I'm so sorry."

Dante sat up and shrugged. "We've been arguing a lot too. She wants me to consider finding another job. Not in addition to my concerts, but in place of. And I can't give up on being a concert pianist. I mean... I've pulled more gigs this year and my career has improved significantly since I won the prize at the competition back in May. And I'm in another one in two weeks, so you'd better be there. Does Hartley like classical? Because I can get a fourth ticket."

"Yeah, he likes classical piano," Cisco assured Dante with a smile. 

"I made the equivalent of a forty thousand dollar salary this year. But she keeps insisting it's not stable and her parents wouldn't be thrilled to know she's dating a musician, like that makes me inherently unreliable or something."

"Dude." Cisco stood up and flicked Dante on the nose. "Break up with her. Nothing about her sounds good, man. And you sound miserable."

"I do, don't I?" Dante flopped backwards again. "I'm gonna wallow in misery for a few more minutes. Go rescue your boyfriend from Armando's nosy questions. I'm sure he's taken advantage of our disappearance to see how badly he can fluster the guy."

"Ugh, that does sound like Mando." Cisco touched his brother's arm again before heading back out of the room. As Dante had predicted, Armando had cornered Hartley in the living room and was asking questions in rapid fire Spanish about... Hartley's knowledge of an anime that, surprisingly enough, Cisco wasn't actually familiar with.

Hartley, at least, was holding his own, also replying in Spanish and clearly well versed in _Angel Beats_. Cisco's papá looked like he was impressed despite himself, though it had nothing to do with the anime. The conversation Armando and Hartley were having was showing off Hartley's vocabulary and the consistency of his accent, which Cisco was certain his family had been expecting to be both limited and stilted at best.

Cisco grinned as he made room for himself next to Hartley on the couch. "Te dije que les gustarías," Cisco muttered, kissing Hartley on the cheek.

Smiling just a little bit brighter, Hartley leaned against Cisco and continued arguing with Mando about the symbolism of some virtual reality program from the anime. Sounded interesting, though, so Cisco mentally added it to his 'to watch' list as he slid his arm around Hartley's shoulders, glad to see his boyfriend finally completely relaxed.

* * *

Hartley's never really had a Thanksgiving like this before.

His own family's celebrations had been stiff and formal. It was when the family portrait photographs would be taken in anticipation of both the family and the Rathaway Industry's Christmas cards. And it was always an awful experience. Hartley had difficulty sitting still before he'd gotten his ADHD medication - something he couldn't even dream about being diagnosed with while he was living with his parents, never mind getting actual help to manage - and the suits his parents made him wear were inevitably made of scratchy materials that messed with his sensory issues and made it that much harder for him to stay put long enough for the handful of photos that were taken. Jerrie had similar problems with the fancy dresses as a kid and her sensory issues were worse - the flash of the camera irritated her eyes on top of the often itchy material of the clothes. (And as Jerrie got older, Hartley had no doubt their mother was insisting on heeled shoes that Jerrie would hate too.)

After being disowned, Hartley mostly ignored the holiday. There were work functions he'd attend, but for the most part Hartley would spend the day curled up in bed with a cup of tea and a good book. He'd watch the parade if he bothered to get up earlier enough to watch, but his interest in it generally wasn't high. The football game was even less interesting, though he'd attempt to tune in for the half time program, even if the musicians weren't ones he enjoyed.

But this... this was the sort of Thanksgiving Hartley'd always heard about. More food than could be finished in one sitting, warm smiles around the table, and a distinct feeling that family was something to be thankful for. 

Cisco was right about the family get together reminding Hartley of the sort of love his own family had lacked for so long and how much he missed his sister... but it felt good being a part of all of this. And he hoped, at some point, he could bring Jerrie with him so she could experience this sort of loving family for herself. If Dante thought his mother wanted to adopt Hartley, just wait until she laid eyes on Jerrie.

Curled up half asleep against Hartley's side, Cisco's eyes were drooping shut. The pavochon had been every bit as tasty as promised and Cisco had an extra helping of it, accounting for his sleepiness now. Obviously Hartley was going to be the one driving them back... though maybe Cisco would go home with him tonight? Hartley rather liked waking up in the morning to the press of Cisco's chest against his back, Cisco's breath tickling the back of his neck. Though given Hartley's own sleepiness, he wouldn't say no to staying the night here in this warm house, even if it meant sleeping on the couch or an inflatable mattress. 

If they stayed, he could help Mateo with breakfast... that sounded really nice. (And perhaps Hartley was starting to doze off himself too...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes on the food.  
> Tostones are twice-fried plantain slices that are delicious. (Had some at a restaurant once, long ago, and I remember them with fondness.)  
> Pernil is a slow cooked seasoned pork roast, which is now on my list of things to try out with my own slow cooker.  
> Pavochon is turkey that's been seasoned and roasted similarly to pernil in order to achieve a very similar flavor. (Sounds delicious.)  
> And mofongo is a smashed plantain dish, though here I'm really referring specifically to mofongo dressing which is a combination of plantains, onion, garlic, and red/green peppers that is used as turkey stuffing. 
> 
> This will be the slower of the two family thanksgivings, as the West Family is going to have a lot of drama going on in comparison. And Hunter's chapter will likely be just plain weird.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and edited Moving Parts to indicate that they'll be at Joe's all day for Thanksgiving since I decided to have everyone show up for breakfast here.

Thanksgiving at the West house always started early and there was always some kind of drama going on. It was an unwritten family rule.

This particular Thanksgiving wasn't likely to be an exception.

Iris had stayed the night at Eddie's - and Joe told himself that Eddie was a gentleman who slept on the couch so that he could pretend for a little while longer that his baby girl didn't have a sex life - which meant that it was just Joe in the house at eight o'clock when the breakfast foods started cooking. Barry, of course, hadn't lived at home since college; Joe still missed the way he used to rocket around the house at the last minute trying to get ready for... pretty much everything, really.

These days, Barry was doing better at being on time, and a lot of that credit had to go to the Snarts. Barry had been dating Leonard Snart for the last several months and been friends with Leonard's sister Lisa for nearly a year. And while Joe was by no means thrilled by Barry's choice in partners, he had to admit that Barry's relationship with the Snart siblings was good for him. 

When the particle accelerator blew the previous December, Barry had been injured by a lightning strike in his old lab at the precinct where Joe worked. The lightning had left Barry with nerve damage and Lichtenburg figures for scars on his face, chest, and arms. It had been a difficult recovery for Barry and Joe, in his zeal to protect Barry, had inadvertently made things worse instead. Barry's friendship with Lisa Snart had helped him rediscover his strength and self confidence, as had Leonard Snart after he was released from jail on parole to join his sister in the apartment across from Barry's.

Though Len lived more in Barry's apartment these days than in Lisa's. Joe tried not to think about that too hard, though - or the fact that first time he'd met Leonard was in Barry's apartment, early in the morning, while the man was clearly wearing Barry's clothes.

Joe did let his thoughts, as he cooked, linger on the fact that his children were happy and healthy with partners who cared deeply for them. Hard not to approve of relationships like that.

At eight-thirty, Barry, Len, and Lisa arrived at the house. Barry still had a house key, so he let himself in and called out in greeting to let Joe know they'd arrived.

"Head on back to the kitchen," Joe shouted back. "I'm making omelets and pancakes." And plenty of it since Barry ate enough for a small army since his speedster abilities had manifested.

"I'm starving, sign me up for everything," Barry said predictably, pulling out a stack of plates. 

"How about I start up a fresh pot of coffee?" Lisa asked, having edged around to pour herself a cup only to find that the liquid had gone cold.

"Knew I'd forgotten something. Go for it," Joe told her. "There's some hot cocoa mix in the pantry over there," he added, looking over at Leonard. "I hear you're a fan."

"Thanks. It mixes nicely with coffee," Len said, going to retrieve some.

"And then he's wired all morning," Lisa muttered, which just made her brother smirk.

Barry forewent the coffee, since caffeine no longer had any effect on him, and got a glass of orange juice instead, helping himself to a plate full of eggs and syrup covered pancakes. "Need any help, Joe?" he asked, settling at the kitchen table. "I'm getting better at multi tasking."

"No super speeds in the kitchen," Joe admonished with a grin. "Nah, I'm good for now. Leonard, you know anything about smoking a turkey?"

"Not a thing. Well... I know that people who mess it up wind up with a visit from Mick and his friends from the Fire Department, but otherwise..." Len shrugged laconically, referencing his friend Mick Rory who was a firefighter.

"Hopefully his day won't be too eventful, but usually there are at least a few people in the city who wind up exploding a frozen turkey," Joe said, shaking his head. "I've got a smoker set up in the back yard. Got us a fifteen pound turkey this year, so it's has to smoke at 225 degrees for about seven and a half hours." Thirty minutes a pound, plus another half hour as a buffer.

"So if we're having dinner at about six, then we'd need to start the turkey at... ten-thirty," Lisa filled in. "We made some side dishes and rolls to go with it, plus some cookies for dessert," she added, "but we left them at the apartment. We volunteered Barry to run and go get them when we're ready for them, that way it's not taking up refrigerator space over here."

"Good planning," Joe said.

"I'll probably be antsy for a run by then anyway," Barry said. "It's way too much fun." And it was a part of him now. The joy that using his powers brought him was something Barry deserved to have fun with.

"We're here!" came from the front of the house as Iris and Eddie arrived.

"This way!" Joe shouted back. "Cooking breakfast."

"We brought some light things for lunch and turkey bacon to go with breakfast," Iris said cheerfully, unloading containers from a bag into the fridge. 

Joe shot Eddie a concerned look.

"Don't worry," Eddie muttered, joining Joe by the stove to hand over the bacon package, "she only made the macaroni. The chicken salad was all mine."

"I heard that," Iris grumbled, swatting them both with a kitchen towel while the others laughed.

* * *

After breakfast, they wound up in the living room playing a few rounds of a _Princes Bride_ themed Apples to Apples type game. Iris and Lisa were the most competitive, to no one's surprise. Though Barry and Len were clearly competing against each other too, much to Joe's amusement.

"So how's it been, being back in the apartments?" Iris asked after the first game was won - Iris the champion by exactly one round. Though it seemed Barry had won over against Len, if the man's pouting was anything to go by.

Barry shrugged. "I mean, it's definitely nice to be off of Mick's couch, but..."

"None of us really feel safe there anymore," Lisa filled in.

"We keep looking for bugs," Len added. "My parole officer actually called and apologized for missing them. It was weird."

Len's parole officer was a hard-ass and she'd insisted on doing a once over on Barry's apartment once Snart started spending more time there than Lisa's apartment. Barry'd given her permission to, rather than put up with her citing - and likely stretching - the various parole board rules and regulations. That she'd apologize to one of her parolees for anything was kind of startling.

Though Joe supposed she might take it as a personal failure that she'd been all over the apartment with a fine tooth comb and missed the cameras all over the place.

As it was, Joe understood the paranoia. His own house had been bugged too and while it clearly centered on Barry, no one had figured out the who or the why yet. It was vexing, to say the least.

"We're, uh... we're actually planning on looking for a new place... somewhere for all three of us to move in together," Barry added, sounding nervous.

"I'd congratulate you guys on moving in together, but you practically already were," Iris said, sounding amused.

Barry laughed and ducked his head. "Yeah, but this'll make it official."

"We still haven't decided on whether we're sticking to apartments or looking for condos or whatever," Lisa added, "so it'll be a while. I want plenty of space between my bedroom walls and theirs."

"Lisa," Len groaned, shooting his sister a dark look.

Joe snickered. "You know, Lisa, first time I met Len he was wearing Barry's clothes."

Lisa's grin widened while Len made a distinct choking noise and Barry actually laughed. "You were," Barry said, snickering. "It's a good look on you."

Len just sighed and gave up, looking over at Eddie, "we should start the game over."

Eddie nodded and started shuffling the cards. "Sure. Do we want to shake up the rules a little this time?"

"Yes," chorused Lisa and Iris, letting themselves get sucked back into their little competition.

"If you three want help dealing with real estate agents, you'd be better off asking David," Joe told Barry as an aside while the other four quibbled over the new rule set. "I inherited this house from my father when... when I got married. Never had to deal with the house hunting side of things."

"I'll ask him if he recommends the agent he and Rob used, then," Barry said. "You're, uh... you're okay with...?"

"Yeah," Joe tells him, and means it. "I'm okay with this."

Barry breathes out a shaky breath of relief and leans into Len's side happily. And while it's not like Barry's living at home anymore anyway, Joe can't help but wonder how long it'll be before Iris and Eddie follow suit and move in together too. He's not sure he's ready for an empty nest just yet.

* * *

Lunch is more snack than meal and afterwards, Joe lead Barry outside to talk alone for a minute.

"So, uh, what's up?" Barry asked.

"I wanted to make sure you heard this from me and not from station gossip. I've, uh... I've gotten permission to reopen your mom's case." Joe watches, feeling guilty, as Barry freezes. Takes a shaky breath or two before evening out to normal.

"How... why?" Barry ran a hand through his hair. "You believe me now? About my dad?"

"Yes. When you showed me your powers that first time at Ferris Air, it looked so much like how you described what you saw that night. I couldn't in good conscience just... let that go." He took a deep breath and then continued, "I know you'll want to be involved in the case, but..."

"It's a massive conflict of interest," Barry filled in, voice shaky. "Who is going to work the evidence?"

"Julian Desmond," Joe said, relieved to see a clear nod of approval from Barry. "With IA coming down even more heavily on our department right now..." the thing with Hunter Zolomon meant they couldn't afford the reopening of the Nora Allen murder to be anything less than aboveboard. Joe being on the case was already stretching things since he'd been kept off the case all those years ago due to it being a conflict of interest for him then. But David was willing to go to bat for him on this, if Joe could turn up anything useful as far as new evidence went.

"It's better for dad if I stay out of it." Barry nodded. "Have you found anything new yet?"

"There was still some blood evidence behind some wall paper at your old home. The new owner let us look around and Desmond took some samples."

"That's a long shot. The paste from the wallpaper probably degraded the samples." Barry sighed and settled onto a patio chair. 

Joe took a seat too. "That's the thing, though. The samples weren't degraded, because they came from two different speedsters."

"What?" Barry straightened up. "Two?"

"That's right." Joe wished there was an easier way to tell Barry all of this. "One of them must be that man in the lightning you saw. The other one... the other one was you."

"But... I wasn't a speedster yet. I wasn't even hurt that night. Not physically, anyway," Barry said, clearly - and understandably - confused.

"Julian said that based on the telomeres of the sample, it had to have come from a version of you a few years down the road from now. Somehow time travel is the least crazy explanation here. And, to be honest, I think I believe him." Joe paused a beat and then added, "you always said that you went from being at the foot of the stairs to being several blocks away in the blink of an eye when the man in the lightning stopped to stare at you. It must've been that older version of you getting you away from him that got you out of the house safely."

"But why would I save myself and not... and not mom?" Barry's voice cracked and he wiped at his face.

"I don't know, Bar. But I'm glad you lived. Henry is glad you lived. Your mom would have wanted you to live. No parent would ever choose to outlive their own child. Whatever it is that was happening in that house the night she died, the decision to save your life is the one Nora would have wanted made. Even if she'd known what the price would be." Joe stood up and pulled Barry up into a hug, feeling it as his son began to cry softly. 

"He's not gone," Barry said, when he finally pulled out of the hug. "I... I found another one of those cameras. It got missed 'cause the battery died early. But, um... a hacker I know traced the IP address it was transmitting too. Abandoned building and any tech was gone already. No evidence left to connect it to whoever was spying on me. Only there was a homeless guy living in the alleyway behind building and he said he saw someone like the Flash but all in yellow with red lightning all over the building when it got emptied out." Barry scratched at the back of his neck and said quietly, "the man in yellow. The man in the lightning. He was the one spying on me. On us."

"How much of that was actually you and how much of that was Len?" Joe asked dryly, then shook his head. "Don't answer that. I don't wanna know."

"Reopening mom's case could make you a target. I don't..." Barry trailed off. "I know you can take care of yourself, but I don't want you getting hurt because of me. What someone with my abilities and no compunctions against murder... he'd be capable of doing some pretty monstrous things, Joe."

Joe nodded, taking the warning and the worry for what they were. "There's an old mirror in the house that Julian theorized we might be able to pull an over exposed image off of."

"Antique mirror in the sitting room?" Barry asked hesitantly. "I think I remember it. It was silver backed and belonged to my grandmother on Mom's side. Do you think the current owner would mind selling it back to me?"

"When I go back you should come with me," Joe said. "Ask her yourself. For now, though, we've left the mirror at the house. It'll take some specialized equipment to get anything off it and there's no telling if it'll even be useful for building a case for acquitting your dad. Think STAR Labs will have anything like that we could borrow?"

"Maybe. Certainly if they don't, Cisco and Hartley could invent one. But..." Barry trailed off uncertainly before taking a deep breath and continuing. "The only place we didn't find hidden cameras was STAR Labs and while there's no evidence their CCTV was hacked... there's every reason to believe it was, especially now that we know who was behind those cameras. It's entirely likely he's still watching STAR Labs. Try Mercury Labs first. Dr. McGee has helped out the CCPD with unusual tech a few times in the past. I've never worked with her myself, but I know a few of the other CSIs have. Maybe Julian has?"

"I guess I'll find out." Joe mentally crossed STAR Labs off his list. Barry had a point about it not being safe to discuss the case there. If this other speedster found out Nora Allen's case had been reopened... there was no telling what he'd do. Maybe nothing. Or maybe he'd see it as a threat to whatever life he'd built for himself the last fifteen years. Assuming he hadn't just jumped forward from then to now using whatever time travel abilities he had access to. "Be careful, Barry."

"You too."

* * *

Barry's a little clingier with Len after his talk with Joe, but the rest of Thanksgiving goes well enough. Len and Lisa extol the virtues of hockey to needle the rest of them during the football game, which Joe accepts good naturedly. Let them have their fun; Joe knew perfectly well which sport was superior and it wasn't hockey.

The turkey was smoked to perfection and all the food everyone brought was delicious. They managed to have left overs even with Barry's increased metabolism. After finishing clean up, they all settled in the living room around the tv with their traditional post-Thanksgiving Christmas movie... _Die Hard_.

As much as Joe was dreading the day Iris announced she'd be moving out... it was nice, having a full house like this. Seeing his kids with people they loved, people they wanted to build their lives with.

Truly, this was the sort of Thanksgiving to be grateful for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joe's concerned about his impending empty nest, so I suppose I should figure out when I want Wally popping up and moving in... :D 
> 
> Meanwhile, let's just assume Barry asked Felicity if she'd say she hacked the camera, if anyone asks. She doesn't know who Len actually contacted to do the backtrace on where the camera was sending its data, which is probably for the best. She wouldn't be pleased to know her dad did it.


	3. Chapter 3

It's a beautiful morning. The sky is clear, the birds are singing, and, though there is a chill in the air, the pre-dawn frost had already melted away. The cemetery grounds are peaceful and quiet, a restful place to honor the dead interred there.

This morning, Thanksgiving 2014, the cemetery opened with a funeral. A young woman - a graduate student at the Central City University - had been missing for quite some time and her body recently discovered buried near the location where another woman had been abducted earlier that year. This woman's name was Jane Watson. There'd been another woman's body buried with her, yet to be identified, but Watson's identity was confirmed by dental records quite quickly and, with all the evidence collected, the time had come for her family to lay her to rest.

There's a small gathering out there on the grounds. The family, of course. Mother quietly sobbing. Father painfully stoic. A younger brother who looks like he might be a little in shock, staring blankly at the closed casket like he can't quite process that what remains of his sister is in there. At least one set of grandparents. Or possibly one grandparent from each side of the family. Hunter can't tell from this distance.

There are a few people who are likely aunts and uncles and a number of Jane Watson's friends. There's a priest as well, officiating the funeral. A large photo of Jane sits beside her casket, a young woman with long brown hair and soft brown eyes. The photographer had clearly captured her vivacious smile and kind personality. Barely anyone can bring themselves to look at it.

Hunter wonders if he could steal it. Later, of course, when no one's paying attention. It's not like he isn't fast enough for it. Something to remember his second victim with.

He'd liked her smile, after all.

* * *

Hunter Zolomon was not a stereotypical Hollywood serial killer. He didn't cut up animals in his childhood and no one who'd known him back then would have found him strange or unsettling. Though he was sure that the press were to interview them now, they'd call Hunter an 'odd child who never really fit in'. It made for a better sound bite than 'I'd have never guessed he'd be a murderer one day'.

At the age of eleven, Hunter's life had fallen apart. His father, a soldier wounded in Iraq, came back with far more wrong with him than a missing leg below the knee. The once gentle father suddenly had uncontrollable rage issues, likely stemming from untreated PTSD. Hunter never knew if his father refused treatment or if he was just another soldier among the thousands that the United States military complex let down each year. Not that the answer had ever particularly mattered, as far as Hunter was concerned.

Whatever the cause, one evening after a loud shouting match with his wife, Jacob Zolomon took up his gun and shot Rebecca Zolomon twice in the chest while little Hunter watched, terrified, from the hall closet. Then Jacob turned the gun on himself and, well, Hunter became an orphan. Hunter hadn't quite known how to grieve either of them afterwards. But he'd known how to act the part, so he did.

And perhaps that was the first domino that tipped over to lead, inexorably, towards what he was now. Not so much his parents deaths, but learning that he could get away with anything so long as he acted the part.

He hadn't gone into forensic science to play god with other people's lives either. But there'd been a case where it was obvious who the thief was. He'd all but confessed, watching with a smirk as the detectives scrambled to find the evidence. And one of those detectives came to berate Hunter for failing to get them what they needed, as if it were Hunter's personal failing that no DNA or fingerprint evidence could be found and the camera's wiped. Except... the thief's prints were in the system and Hunter had access to a 3D printer. He'd always wondered if a fingerprint could be faked that way.

The answer was yes. A fingerprint could be successfully faked with a 3D printer and the right material loaded into the printer.

It got the detective off his back and the thief in prison where he belonged. But Hunter was still angry and resentful of the detective, so... he set the guy up with faked evidence. The look on Ralph Dibny's face when Barry Allen confronted him over the knife... afterward, the man's career was ruined and he blamed Allen instead of Hunter. He'd never even suspected he'd been set up. It couldn't have worked out more beautifully. And by then, Hunter knew it was as fulfilling to deliberately send the innocent to prison as it was to ensure the guilty paid that, well...

He'd known, on some level, he'd get caught eventually. No one was perfect. Not even Hunter. He just hadn't expected to be approached over his misdeeds by someone outside of the system.

Hunter still didn't know how Harrison Wells had discovered the truth. Though it was likely he'd come onto the other man's radar after the disappearance of Hunter's girlfriend, Amelia. Ex-girlfriend. 

Whatever the truth was, Hunter had found Wells in his apartment after work one day. No wheelchair in sight and an offer Hunter couldn't refuse. While he didn't appreciate having his plans interfered with, Hunter had to admit that his life became far more interesting afterwards.

At the same time, Hunter had been slowly coming to realize that playing god in a lab was no longer enough. He'd found Jane not too long after he'd finally admitted faking evidence was no longer doing it for him. 

Beautiful, vivacious Jane. 

Hunter toyed with her before he ended her life. But that had still been merely playing at being god in the end. With an unlimited supply of Velocity, Hunter didn't have to play at it anymore. He could become a god in truth.

And if Harrison Wells thought he was the one holding Hunter's leash, well... he looked forward to seeing the man's expression when his plans fell apart.

* * *

Hunter waited until the gathering disperses and the grave has been filled. The trappings of the funeral had been cleared away to leave behind a stone with a worn out cliche carved into it, a mound of dirt, and a ridiculous number of flowers. 

He stands over her grave for a long moment and then leans down to press a necklace into the earth. He covers it up easily so that no one will ever know it's there. But she'd been parted from his mark on her and Hunter wanted it returned.

The Flash might use the lightning bolt, but it was Hunter's first. And he'd make the other man regret thinking he could claim it too.

Once he'd stood back up and stretched, Hunter turned an he ran from the graveyard and into the streets of Central City. A blur of pure speed and electric blue lightning at his heels.

The Flash thought he could save this city and that was where Hunter intended to begin proving Barry Allen wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite Hunter's boasting, this'll be the last time we see him for a while as the next big villain Barry gets to deal with is going to be General Eiling. Which Eobard isn't exactly going to be thrilled about. :D Hunter's got a lot of learning to do with his shiny new Velocity induced powers, after all. And perhaps a few... downsides to start running into.
> 
> (Also Eobard doesn't realize Hunter knows the Flash's identity because he certainly didn't tell his new protege that one. Hehehe....)


End file.
